Daily GK Updates - 18th December 2014 - Current Affairs

ii. Also known as LVM3/CARE, this suborbital experimental mission was
intended to test the vehicle performance during the critical atmospheric
phase of its flight and this carried passive (non functional) cryogenic
upper stage.

iii. With today’s successful launch, the vehicle has moved a step closer
to its first development flight with the functional C25 cryogenic
stage.

iii. Lakhvi and six others had filed bail applications on Wednesday even
as lawyers were observing strike to condemn the terrorist attack on an
army-run school in Peshawar that left 148 people, mostly children, dead.

3. Priyanka Chopra inks deal with American TV network

i. After launching her music career in the U.S., Bollywood actress
Priyanka Chopra has now sealed a one-year TV development deal with ABC
Television Studios.

ii. The ABC deal comes after Priyanka had a voice role in the animated feature ‘Planes’

iii. The actress’s first single, ‘In My City’, was also selected as the
theme song to the 2013 season of the NFL Network’s Thursday Night
Football and her cover of Bonnie Raitt’s ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ was
featured in a nationwide campaign for Beats By Dre.

4. ‘The Lunchbox’ honoured by Toronto film critics

i. Indian film director Ritesh Batra’s ‘The Lunchbox’ has been named
best first feature at the 18th annual Toronto Film Critics Association
(TFCA) awards in Toronto.

ii. It’s the only Indian movie to win a TFCA award, voted by the members
of the association, which includes Toronto-based journalists and
broadcasters who specialise in film criticism and commentary.

iii. The awards, to be hosted by Cameron Bailey, artistic director of
the Toronto International Film Festival, will be presented at a gala
dinner here Jan 6, next year, said their official site
torontofilmcritics.com.

5. Twins at peak of mountaineering glory

i. By scaling Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest mountain at 4,892
metres, Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik from Dehradun have become the
world’s first twins and siblings to climb the highest peaks on the seven
continents.

ii. The 23-year-old twins accomplished their “Mission 2 for 7” on Tuesday night (IST) when they conquered the mountain.

iii. The mission, which they have dedicated to the cause of the Indian
girl child, started by conquering Mt. Kilimanjaro in February 2012. The
mission progressed as they conquered Mt. Everest in May 2013; Mt. Elbrus
in August 2013; Mt. Aconcagua in January 2014; Mt. Carstensz Pyramid in
March 2014; and Mt. McKinley in June 2014.